Those of you who have been following, for the past 3+ years, the debate(s) about vacation rentals on Nantucket will be happy to know that the STRWG, appointed by the Town last fall, has finished their final recommendations to the Select Board. The volunteer group of nine spent hundreds of hours collecting data, meeting, evaluating, and discussing proposed zoning and general by-law changes that the community will vote on at the Special Town Meeting, to be held on November 7, 2023.
The group was tasked with:
- To provide 100% transparency in all discussions, deliberations, and decisions in respect to STRs on Nantucket.
- To reach 100% agreement to the contributing data points, how they are defined, and the necessary analyses for decision-making by the STRWG
- To develop sensible guidelines for STRs that consider (but not be limited to):
o Nantucket’s unique situation
o the history of seasonal rentals
o how STRs are developing in similar communities & the impact on Nantucket, and
o the economic impact of the suggested guidelines
- To identify either new Bylaws and/or Zoning that would be voted upon at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting and beyond [Shifted to 2023 Special Town Meeting]
- To identify any guidelines that may arise that would support Article 39